BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Reviewing the News w/ Cody Townsend, July 2024 (Ep.319)
Cody and Jonathan discuss the Olympics; what makes someone an “athlete”; LeBron James & bikes; Amaury Pierron; the Most Canadian News; what we’re reading and watching; & more.
Flash Review — Formula Nebbia
The Nebbia is Formula’s unique take on a highly adjustable, modern air shock. We’ve been able to get a few rides on it, and our Flash Review has our early thoughts.
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Blister Labs: Results from our On-Snow Ski Testing & Dynamic Modeling (Ep.307)
Interested in ski design? Curious about where the next advancements in ski design might come from? Then you need to check out this conversation with Dr. Sean Humbert.
SRAM Maven Brakes
Mountain bike brakes have been creeping up in power in recent years, but SRAM’s claim that their new Maven brakes best their longstanding Codes by *50%* is still pretty wild. But it takes a lot more than just raw power to make a good brake, and after spending six months on the Maven Ultimates, we’re ready to weigh in on how well SRAM has done.
Win MTB Apparel From Endura
The two winners of our Gear Giveaway this week will each get a pair of shorts, gloves, socks, and a jersey from Endura!
Reviewing the News w/ Wade Simmons, July 2024 (Ep.233)
Simon is joined by freeride legend Wade Simmons for the July edition of Reviewing the News. Wade and Simon try to figure out why they keep crashing; then get into Crankworx Whistler, the wild Les Gets World Cup, the Olympics, chain lube, and a whole lot more.
Formula Belva Fork
The Formula Belva is one of the only dual-crown Enduro forks available — so is there a good reason for that? Check out our Full Review to see what we thought after a few months with this uncommon Italian fork.
Brendan Leonard on Ultra-Something (Ep.318)
Brendan Leonard (semi-rad.com) is here to talk about junk food, foam rollers, lab mice, can’t-miss business ideas; and his fantastic new book, Ultra-Something.
Stuff We Like: July 2024
This month’s edition of our Stuff We Like series includes everything from casual shirts to hydration solutions, bike tools to deceptively-technical sunglasses, and a whole lot more.
Deep Dive: Deviate Highlander II
We compare the Deviate Highlander II to the Norco Sight, Norco Optic, Kavenz VHP 16, REEB Steezl, Trek Fuel EX, Ibis Ripmo V2S, We Are One Arrival 152, and Santa Cruz Bronson.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
To get our comprehensive Deep Dives and our initial, unfiltered reports on new gear, become a member and receive many other services, deals, and discounts.
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Deviate Highlander II
High-pivot Trail bikes are becoming increasingly common, but Deviate was way ahead of the curve there — so how does their Highlander II ride? We’ve spent several months on it, and the results have been both surprising and impressive.
2024-2025 WNDR Alpine Nocturne 88
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the WNDR Alpine Nocturne 88.
2024-2025 Kästle Paragon 107
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Kästle Paragon 107.
2024-2025 Elan Ripstick 94 W
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Elan Ripstick 94 W.
Flash Review — Specialized Status 2 170
The original Specialized Status was a super-popular, quite affordable park / freeride / do-it-all bike — so the new one has some big shoes to fill. Check out our early impressions of how it fares.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
To get our comprehensive Deep Dives and our initial, unfiltered reports on new gear, become a member and receive many other services, deals, and discounts.
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BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
EXT Vaia Fork
EXT’s first dual-crown DH fork is here, and per usual for the brand, they’ve come up with some interesting ways to do things their own way. Check out what they’ve come up with.
Studio Shed w/ Mike Koenig (Ep.53)
Sheds and Accessory Dwelling Units (aka, ADUs) are a great way to provide extra room for outdoor gear, remote work offices, or even additional living spaces. And in today’s conversation, we sit down with Studio Shed’s co-founder Mike Koenig to discuss their unique approach to designing prefabricated backyard structures that are well-built, eco-friendly, and stylish.
CAST Freetour 2.0 Pivot Ski-Touring Binding
CAST was the first to make a touring binding that got you alpine-binding performance on the way down and a tech toe for the way up, and the Freetour 2.0 is the latest iteration of their system. Check out our First Look for all the details.
Flash Review — Kona Process 153
We were impressed by the new Kona Process 134 when we reviewed it recently, but how about its bigger sibling, the Process 153? We’ve started spending time on the longer-travel member of the family and have some early thoughts to share.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
To get our comprehensive Deep Dives and our initial, unfiltered reports on new gear, become a member and receive many other services, deals, and discounts.
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2025 Mondraker Arid Carbon
Mondraker has dropped their first non-motorized Gravel bike — the Arid Carbon. With a clean aesthetic and a feature set designed to please both racers and more casual adventurers, the Arid prioritizes versatility. Let’s see what Mondraker has cooked up.
1-Ski Quivers: Reviewers’ Selections (24/25)
That’s a wrap — we’ve now had all of our reviewers share which skis they’d pick if they were to ski a whole season on a single setup. Check out what everyone selected this year.
Flash Review — Canyon Spectral:ONfly
The new lightweight light-assist Canyon Spectral:ONFly looks like a smart, well-timed addition to their Trail bike eMTB lineup. We’ve started spending time on the Canyon Spectral:ONFly and are ready to weigh in with some initial thoughts on Canyon’s take on this hot category.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
To get our comprehensive Deep Dives and our initial, unfiltered reports on new gear, become a member and receive many other services, deals, and discounts.
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10 Quick Things: ‘Testing Skis w/ an Olympic Gold Medalist’ Edition (Ep.333)
Jonathan talks about skiing with an Olympic gold medalist on his first day back on snow; Mikaela Shiffrin vs. Santa Claus; the outdoor sports equivalent of Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul; and more. Give it a listen, then let us know your thoughts and ideas.
Bluebird Mountain Sports
Bluebird Mountain Sports is the place to go for ski gear and tuning, bootfitting, and more in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Blister’s Holiday Gift Guide 2024 — In the Garage
In Part Three of our annual Gift Guide series, our reviewers offer some ideas for those looking to splurge a bit on the skier, snowboarder, mountain biker, or other outdoor fan in their lives. Check out their recommendations for bigger gift ideas that you might need to hide in the garage.
Win a Sweet Prize Package From Gregory
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get an Alpaca Gear Box 2 Pack, Alpaca Gear Basket 70, and Alpaca Gear Tote 30 from Gregory Mountain Products!
Good Idea or Bad Idea? Dreams, Doorknobs, & Binding Innovations w/ Austin Smith (Ep.322)
Recently, Austin Smith posted a video of a prototype of a snowboard binding that rotates. So Jonathan talks with Austin about the idea, his prototyping process, the testing process, and his predictions for whether we’ll see a development like this come to market.